Psalm 140

“viper’s venom is under their lips”

Psalm 140 blends many of the themes found throughout the Psalms.

First, there is a plea for protection:

Rescue me, Lord, from evil men.
Keep me safe from violent men
who plan evil in their hearts.
They stir up wars all day long.
They make their tongues
as sharp as a snake’s bite;
viper’s venom is under their lips. Selah

Protect me, Lord,
from the power of the wicked.
Keep me safe from violent men
who plan to make me stumble.
The proud hide a trap with ropes for me;
they spread a net along the path
and set snares for me. Selah

I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
Listen, Lord, to my cry for help.
Lord, my Lord, my strong Savior,
you shield my head on the day of battle.

This is followed by imprecations:

Lord, do not grant the desires of the wicked;
do not let them achieve their goals.
Otherwise, they will become proud. Selah

When those who surround me rise up,
may the trouble their lips cause overwhelm them.
Let hot coals fall on them.
Let them be thrown into the fire,
into the abyss, never again to rise.
Do not let a slanderer stay in the land.
Let evil relentlessly hunt down a violent man.

And at the end of the song, a turn toward praise:

I know that the Lord upholds
the just cause of the poor,
justice for the needy.
Surely the righteous will praise your name;
the upright will live in your presence.

That’s the whole song.

We are here with Psalm 140, so I’ve written a lot already about all of these themes — petitions for protection, imprecation, and the Lord’s concern for the poor and needy. What strikes me today is the turmoil and conflict of the psalmist’s world. The song is attributed to David, and his life was downright Shakespearean in its drama, much of it tragic. I wonder what it’s like to be surrounded by people who have viper’s venom under their lips. It sounds like an episode of Game of Thrones.

The church fathers and desert contemplatives spiritualized these songs. Demons assault the soul with deception. Satan, as the Father of Lies, speaks with viper’s venom under his lips.

Either way, we find ourselves embattled. That’s one of the vivid images the Psalms leave us with. The soul besieged. The conflict. The storm. Feeling pursued and hunted. Sensing yourself drowning. Being surrounded by poisonous snakes.